US Department of Labor investigation of employee’s severe injuries finds Ohio manufacturer failed to correct similar hazards cited in 2022

SHELBY, OH ‒ Despite citations from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration for similar hazards at its Shelby facility in 2022, ArcelorMittal Tubular Products USA LLC — a subsidiary of one of North America’s largest steel suppliers — failed to protect a 60-year-old employee from severe injuries after they became caught in a pinch point created by a bundle of steel tubes and a rotating roller conveyor in December 2023.

Responding to an employer-reported injury, OSHA investigators determined the company did not guard the conveyor’s pinch points adequately, which led an employee, working as a tube handler, to suffer lower arm and wrist injuries. 

Following its inspection, OSHA issued four repeat violations for inadequate machine guarding, not using required lockout/tagout procedures and failing to train workers on procedures to reduce exposure to operating machine parts. ArcelorMittal Tubular Products USA faces $253,515 in proposed OSHA penalties. 

“The inspection of ArcelorMittal Tubular Products was one of nearly 1,700 inspections related to machine hazards and potential amputation injuries in Ohio in the past five years,” said OSHA Area Director Todd Jensen in Toledo, Ohio. “This was a preventable injury had the company taken appropriate action to prevent workers from contacting moving machine parts, violations for which OSHA cited the company previously. Safety should be a core value of every company.”

Since 2014, the agency has cited the company’s U.S. subsidiaries for 80 violations and investigated seven work-related deaths including in Illinois, Indiana, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. In 2020, ArcelorMittal announced the sale of its U.S. holdings to Cleveland-Cliffs, a leading supplier of automotive-grade steel. ArcelorMittal Tubular Products USA operates manufacturing facilities in Ohio in Marion and Shelby. 

The company has 15 business days from receipt of the citations and penalties to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA’s area director, or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission. 

Learn more about OSHA, lockout/tagout procedures and the National Emphasis Program on Amputation Hazards.